Forword controls install question..

I bought my forward controls from TC Bros.. I installed them on Sat. but I ran into a problem.. My rear brake lever/mechanism(spl?) doesn't apply the rear brake n my forward control peg goes "tits up"..

I tried adjusting the rear brake all the way that it could. N that didnt help abit. I lengthen'd the rod. Which made the peg be uncomfortable 2 apply the brake. N that helped out abit. But my peg still went "tits up".. I tried re-postioning the brake lever. But the nut on the ball joint hits the exhaust cover..

Here r some pics:
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn15 ... 300083.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn15 ... 300085.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn15 ... 300084.jpg
http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn15 ... 300086.jpg


Any ideas on the matter would be sweet.

Thanx
KAOS

 

try makeing a different bracket for the brake side

 

They sell these on eBay. According to the pics in their auction, your modified brake lever should be shorter and point nearly straight down. Maybe then, your ball joint will miss the exhaust. Looks like you need a longer actuating rod too.

 

I have these controls on my bike and have had problems with the bracket bending after just a few rides. I sent an email to tcbros, the guys who make the controls and they havent responded. For the price of the controls you would think they would use a harder higher grade metal.

 

So what ur saying is, don't even bother? The reason I'm asking is bc I'd really like forward controls for my bike but not quite sure on which route to go.

 

Deathmetaldan: Do u mean a diffirent "brake lever"? I might try n fab up a diffirent brake lever. But I dont know how I should make it! Anyone?

conn110: The kits r for the Maxim's n my bike is a SECA. So the pics is of a Maxim's brake lever. Which is diffirent then mine.

rdbhere2: The brackets seem 2 be holding up on my bike.. They r pretty thick n nicely made. No problems here!

 

I understand that the Seca does have some differences from a Maxim. I don't thing the brake lever is any different though. In all the pics I've seen, the brake levers look the same.

The attached pic is from the TC Bros, site. It's an 1983 XJ750K. Notice the almost non-existant "original" brake lever. With your brake lever being so long, it has to move too far to really get into the brakes. The little bitty lever at the bottom of the forward control doesn't move enough to make the original lever actuate the brake. Shortening the original brake lever will increase the influence of the new lever over the original lever.

 

not the forward control part, the part on the other end of the link, just like everybody else is saying, you can probably just cut down what you have and put a longer rod on it. The reason your pedal over extends like that and gets stuck is because the actuating rod is to short.

 

Well i put on a longer rod. N it made the control peg almost straight up. N it was very uncomfortable tring 2 apply the brake. N it still went "tits up".. Now it it did "improve" it abit though..

Does anyone know if an '83 xj900 brake lever will fit on my brake spline? I'm gonna cut it up. So fitment doesn't matter. Just the spline matters..

Thanx
KAOS

 

if the lever is straight up and down just adjust the rear so its in a comfy position... if you have to jam your brakes all the way down like that something is probably wrong with your brakes

 

I wasn't happy with how TC Bros forward controls looked so I fabricted my own. They are sturdy and work extremely well. The cost was not that bad as I used parts from a local bike shop that they had that were off other bikes. The shift levers and brake pedal are from Harleys, but fit nicely and the mini floorboards are from eBay. The hardest part was getting the steel plates cut and holes drilled.

 

nice ;-)

How much would you charge to make me a set? ;-)

 

I am by no means a craftsman, and am not sure if I could do justice to building and selling these sets. I am happy to share the drawings I used to make the plates and can offer other tips to help someone building their own. If enough people wanted them, I could research how much the materials cost would be and then let folks know what a fair price would be. There are many variables to building forward controls...types of levers, floorboards etc. I will be chroming my plates, bushings and rods this winter which will make these controls look better. So far, the comfort and ease of use has been outstanding, although the bike has only been on the road for a week. Lots of questions on the bike in general from the local biker crowd as well.

 

I have a 82 xj750 seca - I would love any details / plans / etc.. you might have - I could even try to mod them (and re upload them here) with any deviations I might encounter with the seca. To include a parts listing update, how-to, stepby step pictures, etc..

I'd much rather spend 100$ and make it myself, then spend 200$ and buy it ;-)

I am by no means a fabricator or anything myself - but I can run with an idea if I have some details, and I have enough saws, sanders, and stupidity to try to cut/make anything ;-)

Any info you have would be 'great' (even if you want to snail mail them to me and I can scan them and upload them here if you don't have access to a scanner or anything)

let me know - this sounds like a worthy winter project!!

 

I think I have the market cornered on stupidity thank you...I've done things to this bike that even had my beloved shaking her head. Actually, my son complimented me yesterday, sort of. He said he was amazed that nothing has fallen off the bike nor caught fire considering what I started with! As far as the fwd controls go, give me a day or so to start putting things together (step by step with pictures) and we'll be chatting. Gotta head out to get some work done.

 

Wohoo!!! i know how to make your brakes work!!! I THINK!! i am so excited because i finally THINK know something about a topic as i have also put forwards on my bike and have had a problem with breaking.

the fix has to do with your break lever on your original pin in the position i see in the picture it would fair to guess the when applying your breaks your linking bar bends giving you a mushy feeling or bends so much from not being able to move the lever that your control is able to come around on itself (this also happens if the linking bar is to short)no matter where you place your front control.

when i was testing setups with my homemade controls i found that if the (will call it middle brake pin lever) was past 180 degrees the brakes would discontinue to apply and if it was set to high say past around 120 degrees the linking bar bends when pressure is applied to the control.



my recommendations from the looks of it, you will need a longer linking bar, also remove your mid control pegs, and adjust the pin lever.

the longer your pin lever is the longer you will have to push the brake lever down.

the same goes for the control lever adjustment. once those are adjusted then go to the adjustment on the drum and set it to your liking

I hope this helps there may be picture of my setup from my gallery.









you may noticed i stuck mine out in front of the frame and out wider than the motor. i have long legs and do not like to burn them.

 

Hey johno8 - Please put me on your list of people interested in pics/plans/whatever you can come up with.

I've got a '82 550 that I would like to try to "Modify" so that I can strech my legs out some. And your mini boards are exactly what I've wanted to try.

I know you said that you got the Floorboards from ebay do you happen to remember what kind of bike they were off of or where they came from.

Look forward to hearing more.......Thanks, Bob

 

I do notice something... 1 of my springs on my rear break lever "factory" set-up. Is REALLY loose... Its the bottom spring.. The BIGGER 1 of the 2.. Its soo loose that I can just use 1 finger n it'll fall off its mount... I'm sure this isn't something that should be accurring!?! :wink:

KAOS

 

Bob:
I bought the mini-floorboards off eBay after searching for them with key words. A lot of folks sell them so they shouldn't be hard to find. They are generic and will fit any bike...I believe they were made for the passengers, but I really like them as my feet fit perfectly on them. With my legs stretched out, it is the most comfortable riding position and with forward controls, my feet stay put.

KAOS:
I don't have the bottom spring on mine anymore because I found it too loose and it didn't seem to make a difference in the braking...having said this, if someone knows better, jump in please!

Moguy:
Love your diagram and it really shows how it's supposed to work. I'm going to increae the length of my centre lever as I still have no effective back brake. There's plenty of lining on the brake but there doesn't seem to be a way to really adjust the rear brake...does anyone know of a way?

 

You will need clevises on the brake rod so you will be able to do fine adjustments to the foot controls after you install the forward controls. It takes a bit of tinkering to get them just right. I used 1/4" rod for the shifter side and 3/8' for the brake rod. The brake rod will bend when pushed hard with anything smaller than 3/8" rod (don't ask how I know)